Ejector for powder-actuated tools



Nov. 27, 1956 J, Q F ETAL EJECTOR FOR POWDER-ACTUATED TOOLS Filed April 23, 1954 I N VEN TORS, ROWLAND J. KOPF ROGER MARSH A TTORNEYS,

United States Patent EJECTOR FOR POWDER-ACTUATED TOOLS Rowland J. Kopf, Rocky River, and Roger Marsh, Hudson, Ohio, assignors to Portable Industries, Inc., Cleveland,0hio, a corporation of .Ohio

Application April 23, 1954, Serial No. 425,195

11 Claims. ((21.42 1) This invention relates generally to powder-actuated tools, and more particularly, to apparatus utilizing a socalled breech .plug.

With some powder-actuated tools, such as those used in setting fasteners, the cartridge is loaded andfired within a breech plug. The plug is shaped to have a close telescoping fit within the breech portion of the barrel, and it is removable so that the spent cartridge can be easily extracted and ejected after each shot. Also, the plug permits breech loading of fasteners of a diameter larger than that of the cartridge, assuming the barrel bore is of a correspondingly larger diameter.

Although the plug is a convenience under some conditions, it must be kept clean and lubricated to insure proper functioning of the tool. If maintenance is neglected for even a short time, the plug will stick with the result that its removal becomes extremely difiicult. In that event, attempts at removal, as with the aid of pliers, often result in damage. Moreover, in some types of tools, the plug should move freely from the barrel at or shortly after the instant of firing; and under these circumstances, lubrication is vital not only to prevent seizure with resulting cartridge rupture and accompanying malfunctions, but also to minimize scoring and wear.

Heretofore, it has been customary to rely upon the operator of the tool to inspect the plug after each shot, leaving to his judgment the frequency and manner of cleaning and lubrication. This practice has proved unsatisfactory, however, inasmuch as the task is tiresome and apt to be neglected. It is therefore an object of the invention to insure that such breech plugs will be properly cleaned and lubricated during use of the tool.

Briefly, this objective is achieved by providing an ejecting device so constructed that the outer surface of the plug will be wiped and coated with lubricant in the act of ejecting a spent case. Such a device is preferably mounted on the tool convenient to the operator and may include an ejecting pin that is surrounded in spaced relationship by an annular oil-saturated wick. When the plug is pushed down over the pin to eject the case, the outer wall of the plug passes over the wick, being wiped clean and left with a thin film of oil.

With this device, lubrication is provided after every shot instead of infrequently and haphazardly. Such regular lubrication not only prevents corrosion and free movement of the breech plug, but also reduces its operating temperature and may result in a condition wherein some of the oil works its way into other parts of the mechanism.

Other features of the invention will be in part apparent from and in part pointed out in the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating certain parts of a powder-actuated tool that utilizes a breech P Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view of a body portion of the tool, such as the grip, embodying the invention;

Fig. .3 is a view similar to that of Fig. v2, illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of .Fig. 2, illustrating an additional form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an oblique view of the breech plug.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawings, there is shown a breech plug, generally designated 1, which telescopes Within a barrel partially shown at 3. The plug includes a tubular portion 5 of an outer diameter closely matching the diameter of a counterbore 7 at the breech end of the barrel. The plug is also bored at 9 to form a firing chamber for a cartridge 11, and the rearmost portion is formed with a peripherally knurled head 13 of somewhat larger diameter. This head abuts against the end 15 of the barrel, being held thereagainst by a breech block or bolt 17. In some instances, the breech block 17 will be locked to the barrel, as by segmented threads 19. In other cases, the apparatus will be of the unlocked type, and the breech block will move rearwardly under the reacting force of the propellant. A,

After each shot, the breech is broken and the plug is withdrawn by means of its knurled head 13, the cartridge remaining in the plug. The plug is pressed over a pin to eject the spent case. According to the present invention, an ejecting pin 21 is provided on a portion 23 of the tool, such as the base of the pistol grip. The pin is mounted coax-ially within a bore 25 of a somewhat larger diameter sufiicient to permit entrance of the tubular portion 5 of the plug, and the bore 25 also contains an annular resilient cleaning element 27. This element is mounted near the entrance to the pin receptacle 25 so as to project inwardly and is of an inner diameter somewhat less than the outer diameter of the plug portion 5. Also, the element 27 is preferably formed as a pad or wick so that it may be saturated with lubricant. The lubricant may be supplied manually from an oil can or automatically from an oil chamber communicating with the wick.

Several embodiments of the invent-ion are illustrated. In Fig. 2, the body 23 of the tool is formed with a hollow 29, and the bore 25 extends from the outer wall 31 to this hollow. The bore is threaded at its inner end 33 and the pin 21 is secured to a collar 35 which is screwed within the threads 33, so that the pin projects through the bore to or beyond the outer wall 31. The bore 25 is also formed with an inward-1y projecting rim 37 adjacent the outer wall 31, and the collar 35 may carry a tubular extension 39, which projects outwardly but terminates short of the rim 37. The annular Wick 27 is then compressed between the rim 37 and tubular extension 39.

It will be noted that the pin 21 is of a diameter approximately the same as the inner diameter of the plug so as to engage the case at the mouth or fore portion thereof. If desired, however, the pin may be of a lesser diameter so as to enter the cartridge and engage the head; and in that event, the ejecting pin should project substantially beyond the wall 31 of the body of the tool.

With the embodiment of Fig. 2, the hollow 29 in the tool is accessible, at least upon disassembl'y. Referring now to Fig. 3, there is shown an alternative embodiment wherein no such hollow is required. In this instance, the ejecting pin 121 is screwed directly into the body of the tool and a counterbore 129 is provided adjacent the outer wall 131 of the tool body. This counterbore 129 is in part threaded and an annular collar 139 is screwed therein to secure the wick 127.

In Fig. 4, there is illustrated an embodiment similar to that in Fig. 3, but further including an oil chamber 200 accessible by means of a removable plug 202. This chamber communicates with the bore-mounted wick 227 through a port 204. Also, the ejecting pin 221 is shown to carry a somewhat smaller second wick 228, which is designed to sweep the inner bore of the breech plug as the cartridge case is ejected, thereby to clean and lubricate the firing. chamber. Theejecting pin 221 may be made up of two sections, the outer portion 224 having a threaded stud which fits within the inner portion 226. The two sections 224 and 226 form shoulders which hold the second wick 228.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the difiiculty heretofore encountered of persuading the operator to take proper care of equipment is overcome with this invention. The cleaning and lubricating means is not only conveniently located, but it is so located as to assure that the plug will be lubricated after every shot. Necessarily, a tool equipped with the present invention would be free of any other means of ejecting spent cases, thus assuring use of the device. Where it is not convenient to so equip the tool, however, the device may be supplied as an accessory.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that those skilled in the art will understand the structure, function and mode of operation of the invention herein disclosed, and appreciate the advantages thereof. Although several embodiments have been disclosed in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but the drawings and description thereof are to be understood as being merely illustrative. It is realized that many modifications and variations will present themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope thereof as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In powder-actuated apparatus of the type utilizing a breech plug, a cartridge-ejecting device comprising an ejecting pin mounted at one end, and an annular resilient cleaning element mounted in surrounding relationship with said pin adjacent its free end.

2. In powder-actuated apparatus of the type utilizing a breech plug, a cartridge-ejecting device comprising an ejecting pin mounted at one end and an annular resilient cleaning element mounted in surrounding relationship with said pin adjacent its free end, said annular cleaning element being constituted by an absorbent pad.

3. In powder-actuated apparatus of the type utilizing a breech plug, a cartridge-ejecting device comprising an ejecting pin mounted at one end and an annular resilient cleaning element mounted in surrounding relationship with said pin adjacent its free end, said cleaning element being constituted by an oil-saturated wick.

4. A cartridge-ejecting device for use with powderactuated apparatus of the type utilizing a breech plug, the device comprising a bored body, an ejecting pin mounted coaxially Within the bore of the body, said pin being secured at its innermost end and being free at its outer end, and an annular, resilient cleaning element contained within said bore adjacent its entrance in surrounding relationship with said pin.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said resi'lient cleaning element is constituted by an oil-saturated wick.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein saidbody further includes an oil chamber in communication with said wick.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said ejecting pin carries a second annular resilient cleaning element adjacent its end.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said second cleaning element is constituted by an oil-saturated wick.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said ejecting pin is secured upon a collar which in turn is secured at the inner end of said bore, said bore being flanged ad jacent its outer end and a tubular element extending from said collar toward said flange, said annular resilient cleaning element being confined between said flange and the outer end of said tubular element.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said body is also counterbored at the outer end of said bore, said ejecting pin being threaded into said body and a collar threaded into said counterbore, said annular resilient cleaning element being confined within said counterbore by said threaded collar.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said ejecting pin is of a diameter such as to enter the breech plug and engage the mouth portion of a cartridge case therewithin.

No references cited. 

